Page 48 - gt1607
P. 48

2015–2016 GSA-USGS Congressional Science Fellow Report

GSA TODAY | JULY 2016        “If you’re not at the table,                                          Record, including a congratulatory message to the MIT LIGO
                                                                                                   gravity waves detection team. Our office used the discovery to high-
                             you’re on the menu.”                                                  light the importance of basic science research funding provided by
                                                                                                   the National Science Foundation. I also help write the Senator’s
                              Karen Paczkowski                                                     remarks for STEM events, including a recent event on increasing the
                                                                                                   involvement of women in STEM fields.
                             Solving our nation’s toughest challenges requires a coordinated
                          effort between scientific knowledge, effective legislation, and            One of my most exciting tasks has been drafting legislation. On
                          sound policy. As a society, we must decide how to protect and            18 Sept. 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that
                          sustainably use our natural resources, how to mitigate and adapt         Volkswagen had been using defeat devices to circumvent emission
                          to natural hazards, and how to secure our energy supply.                 test requirements on 500,000 U.S. vehicles. These defeat devices
                          Geoscience has an important role to play in deciding the answers         allowed Volkswagen (VW) vehicles to emit up to 40 times the
                          to these challenging questions.                                          nitrogen oxide (NOx) allowable under U.S. law.

                             Using geoscience to inform policy has been a constant thread            In response to the VW Diesel Scandal, I helped write the
                          through my career. As a graduate student, I participated in several      CLEANUP Act. CLEAN-UP is an acronym for Compensating
                          Geoscience and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math-         Losses to the Environment from Automobiles with Noxious
                          ematics) Congressional Visits Days (CVDs). CVDs are two-day              Undisclosed Pollution. The CLEANUP Act holds VW and other
                          events where scientists from around the county travel to D.C. to         automakers accountable to the American public for fraudulently
                          meet with their congressional representatives. In my own face-to-        circumventing U.S. emissions laws. It ensures that automakers
                          face meetings with congressional offices and committees, I stressed      aren’t allowed to benefit from Corporate Average Fuel Economy
                          the importance of federally funded basic science research by empha-      (CAFE) credits awarded as a result of illegal behavior. The
                          sizing the societal impacts of my own research, the societal benefits    CLEANUP Act denies CAFE credits to any auto manufacturer
                          of geoscience as a field, and the value of geoscience education. CVDs    that circumvents emissions control requirements and allows the
                          send a powerful reminder to policymakers of the need not only to         Department of Transportation to collect additional penalties from
                          support geoscience programs verbally, but to support them finan-         automakers that obtain the credits fraudulently. Penalties from
                          cially as well. There’s an old saying in Washington: “If you’re not at   violations are diverted to programs that clean up the air, including
                          the table, you’re on the menu.”                                          investments in electric vehicle fueling stations, retrofitting school
                                                                                                   buses to reduce air emissions, purchasing zero-emitting cars for
                             I believe these CVD visits had an effect on policymakers, and I       municipal fleets, or providing grants for projects to improve air
                          know they had an effect on me. I discovered that my geoscience           quality in low-income communities.
                          background could be used to help tackle national challenges by using
                          science to develop better policy. After finishing my Ph.D. in              The senator, my fellow staffers, and I developed the ideas behind
                          geophysics, I made the leap into science policy through the GSA          this bill and worked with legislative counsel to formalize the bill’s
                          Science Policy Fellowship. I worked as a liaison between scientists      language. The bill circulated with a one-page summary (referred to
                          and policymakers in GSA’s Government Affairs Office in D.C.              as a one-pager) that explains what the bill does without the legal
                          Through this position, I gained valuable hands-on experience in key      language. We also drafted a “Dear Colleague” letter asking other
                          geoscience topics and insight into the inner workings of D.C.            senators to cosponsor the bill. I dropped off the bill in the Capitol on
                                                                                                   25 February, and it now awaits markup in the Senate’s Committee
                             I am honored to serve as the 2015–2016 GSA-USGS Congressional         on Environment and Public Works.
                          Science Fellow. This past September, I joined 200 other scientists and
                          engineers as part of the incoming class of American Association for        As the GSA-USGS Congressional Science Fellow, I now sit on the
                          the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy          other side of the table, meeting with constituents and stakeholders
                          Fellows. The fellowship began with a two-week whirlwind orienta-         on topics in my portfolio. I particularly enjoy meeting with geoscien-
                          tion to science policy. Senators, representatives, judges, diplomats,    tists during CVDs and hearing about the exciting, important
                          and many others were brought in to impart their wisdom to the new        research in our field. I’m happy to have found my place at the table,
                          class of fellows. After the training, I interviewed with a broad range   and I encourage all geoscientists to participate in science policy.
                          of offices, including Representatives, Senators, and committees,         Together, we can tackle our nation’s toughest challenges. Please feel
                          before accepting an offer to serve in the office of Massachusetts        free to contact me if you have any questions. I’m always happy to talk
                          Senator Edward J. Markey.                                                about the intersection between science and policy, and am eager to
                                                                                                   help scientists find their own seat at the table.
                             I work for the Senator on a broad range of topics, including energy,
                          the environment, and STEM research and education. I draft state-           The manuscript is submitted for publication by Karen Paczkowski,
                          ments and questions for congressional hearings in the Environment        2015–2016 GSA-USGS Congressional Science Fellow, with the under-
                          and Public Works Committee and the Commerce, Science and                 standing that the U.S. government is authorized to reproduce and
                          Transportation Committee. I accompany the Senator to these hear-         distribute reprints for governmental use. The one-year fellowship is
                          ings, helping him react in real-time to comments made by witnesses       supported by GSA and the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the
                          and other Senators. I also draft Statements for the Congressional        Interior, under Assistance Award No. G15AP00128. The views and
                     48                                                                            conclusions contained in this document are those of the author and
                                                                                                   should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies,
                                                                                                   either expressed or implied, of the U.S. government. Paczkowski works
                                                                                                   in the office of Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and can be
                                                                                                   contacted by e-mail at karen_paczkowski@markey.senate.gov.
   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53